Saratoga
by The Bonfire Storyteller
Summary: The Scouting Legion has discovered a peculiar man and his dog wandering through the Forest of Giant Trees. His armor and weapons seemed more advanced than anything they had seen before. He holds secrets to a Vault with tools and weapons that would ensure victory, but is Humanity worthy enough to wield them? For these are the bringers of possible wars, and war...war never changes.
1. The War Machine

**This chapter is still a mere beginning and is still currently a prototype for the story. Hope you do enjoy it!**

Chapter One: The War Machine

The Survey Corps was on their way in the Forest of Giant Trees, trotting on horseback and surveying the area. The 57th Expedition was in place, intent on reaching the Shiganshina district. It's objective: reaching the basement of Eren Jaeger and finding out the secrets.

At the head of this expedition was Commander Erwin Smith himself, riding hard. This was not only an expedition, but a trial for the new Survey Corps recruits. Ever since the discovery of Eren's abilities, he had faith that he would be of great benefit for all of humanity.

"Stay in formation, Jaeger." The Commander heard his second-in-command Levi Ackerman call out from behind. Erwin merely smiled a little at the Captain's sternness. Those two had formed a bond together, like student and mentor. Especially since the kicking at the trials.

However, he gazed back at his troops, seeing all of them riding hard and following the leader. They all would die someday…but the Corps was a close contact with death. They saw it frequently, be it between their ranks or their enemies, the gargantuan Titans. Nude beasts that have human features and stand towering over a man. Erwin didn't despise them, but they were the enemy.

"I wonder what we'll see today! Maybe we'll see Eren's Titan form once more! O-Or maybe even a Deviant Titan!" He heard Hanji call out to her squad.

"Ma'am, you're a psycho." One of the soldiers commented. Hanji, the science officer of the Corps, merely cackled with lots of humor. "What you call psychotic, I call fascinating!" she said.

"Keep it down, you two." Erwin commanded as they galloped ahead.

As they rode deeper into the forest though, the sun was going down, turning the light shades of light into sheets of darkness. Erwin knew it was time for a rest. So, he pulled the Corps up to a large rock bluff, one that would provide shelter for the men and women.

"Rest here for the night. Have sentries ready for trouble. Levi, you're on first watch." Erwin commanded as the Corps spread out and began to set up camp.

"Yes sir." He coldly replied as he dismounted his horse with some effort, looking around over the makeshift camp.

Sleeping bags were unrolled, wagons stationed, and few fires lit, mostly for warmth or boiling tea. The troops acted calmly as they ate some of their rations and drank water, preparing for another day.

One of the soldiers by the name of Armin Arlert sat down on the grass with his two friends Eren and Mikasa. Both were silent as they made tea and ate their rations, especially with the still-suspicious glares of some soldiers. Eren, with his Titan-shifting abilities, was still suspected to go crazy suddenly.

"I still can't believe we're out here in Wall Maria. You think home's changed a lot?" Armin asked.

"It's probably ruins by now…damn those Titans." Eren murmured as he bit into his bread.

"Don't worry…we'll get there in one piece." The young boy said with a smile. "Yeah…and with a trail of those dead monsters behind us." Eren replied with a slight grin.

At another fire three soldiers, Jean, Sasha, and Connie sat down and stoked the burning wood before looking over the distance. "This expedition is crazy…" Jean murmured. "Yeah it is…but we're in the Corps, are we not?" Connie asked.

"Yeah…just…" Jean started, but he stopped his sentence. "What?" Connie asked again. "Nuthin'. Just eat." He replied. Marco's death had been hard on him, and he struggled every day not to fall apart. Thankfully he had friends to help, whether he knew it or not.

"Hey guys…I did notice something weird about this place." Sasha commented before taking a bite of her bread. "Oh yeah? And what's that?" Jean asked. "There hasn't been many Titans around these parts. It's like…dead." She said with her mouthful.

The two looked at each other briefly. The girl had a point. It had been real quiet in terms of Titans, and if Jean remembered hearing Major Hanji saying something about an odd burn mark on a tree. It looked precise and accurate, not to mention burned a hole right through it.

"Think there's something scaring them off?" Connie asked. "Might be…" Sasha said before swallowing.

Meanwhile, Levi stood up on a high rock, looking at the trees and the darkness beyond. He had his 3DMG with him, properly geared and ready for combat, though he doubted he would need it. After all, Titans didn't come out at night, right?

While standing there, he heard footsteps coming up behind him, though he knew exactly who it was when the shadow overlooked him.

"Mike, you need to be quieter if you want to sneak up on me." He stated emotionlessly.

The 6'5" giant of a man merely grunted and stood beside the 5'4" tall Captain, looking over the forest. "Anything happen?" Mike asked as they looked out. "No…it's quiet. Really quiet." Levi commented.

"Smell anything?" Mike took an inhale of the air, but then his eyebrows narrowed as he caught the whiff of an unknown smell.

It smelled like something was burning, but not like the cooking fires. This smelled concentrated and much more dangerous. Also…there was the smell of a wet dog. This made him wrinkle his nose, but he spoke calmly.

"Yeah…but it isn't a Titan. Smells similar to gunpowder…" he commented.

Levi raised his eyebrow but nodded. "Some idiot could be trying to shoot at Titans." He remarked. "That is true…but who in their right mind would be out here?" Mike asked.

"If it isn't Eren or shit-glasses, then I have no idea." Mike nodded in response, but he didn't leave. They were on guard in case something would approach, especially if it wasn't a Titan. "Also, there's wet dog. Probably wolves though." Mike added.

"Wolves…filthy creatures." Levi muttered.

Around a half hour later though, Mike's nose picked up another scent. He stood up while gripping his swords, narrowing his eyes.

"Whaddya smell now?" Levi asked, joining him. "That burning smell, but much closer...same thing with that wet dog smell…but this time I smell sulfur, steel, and…I don't know what the next thing is. Whatever it is, it's getting closer." Mike stated.

"Go down and make sure the camp is on alert, and alert Commander Er-"

Levi was cut off as they began to hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, but it was nothing like a Titan's own. It sounded mechanical and hydraulic…but the next sound following it was completely out of place, making both of them stop dead.

"Is that…music?" Mike asked with slightly wide eyes.

"I don't know what it is, but get your ass down to the camp and put everyone on high alert." Levi ordered. Mike left without another word.

The thumping steps got closer, and despite the darkness Levi could make out what was approaching. It was around eight feet tall, bulky, but the armor it wore immediately made Levi think twice about a frontal attack. The humanoid structure suggested it was human, but he couldn't be too sure.

The weapon it carried though, it was nothing that Levi had never seen. It looked like some sort of rifle, but what it fired was nothing he could think of.

He also saw the source of the wet dog smell; A solid and large German Shepherd that trotted along the armored red and gray giant.

"Alright…plan B." He murmured as he looked behind him at the camp. The music he heard was kind of catchy, but for now it was time to get back and regroup.

Stealthily moving back to the base camp, he saw that Mike had the Corps on general alert, and they all had their gears ready. "What's the hostile look like?" Erwin asked. "It's not a Titan…but it's dangerous. It's got armor plating that'd shatter our swords, and I think that weapon of his will take us out one by one. My advice is that we get up in the trees and wait for it to leave or try to perform a surprise attack. It'll be hard though. The tin man has a dog with him." Levi reported.

Being humanity's strongest soldier, Levi would normally have killed the threat instantly. However, the fact that he was suggesting a surprise attack spoke volumes.

"Sir, I could go Titan form and take it ou-"

"No, Eren. It's too much of a risk. I don't want any casualties just because of one wanderer and his dog. If he's as armored as Levi says, then we better wait him out. Everyone get into a position, now!" Erwin ordered as the thumping got closer.

At once, everyone scrambled to their positions, putting out fires, covering wagons, and scrambling up into the nearby trees or hiding under the wagons. The cover of darkness shielded them, but the fact there was a dog made them uneasy.

"Oh, I can't WAIT to get a look at this armored thing!" Hanji whispered with excitement as she hid up high in a tree.

"Of all the people I get stuck with it's you…" Levi muttered as they hid together.

Soon though, the armored giant was so close they could hear the music it played clearly, making out the words even with the music.

 _"Atom bomb baby, little atom bomb,"_

 _"I want her in my wigwam!"_

 _"She's just the way I want her to be;"_

 _"A million times hotter than TNT!"_

"Interesting…why would a thing like that play music?" Hanji observed as she looked on, though her face turned red with a bright blush.

She saw the armored giant in full, seeing the red and olive paintjob coupled with a shark's smile painted on the chest piece. That weapon it carried, the armor, the dog even…oh, she would have a field day with this thing!

"Don't even think about it…" Levi murmured.

Down below though, Armin hid himself in a wagon alone. He had gotten lost in the scramble and saw that Mikasa and Eren as well as Erwin hid in a tree above him. He did his absolute best to keep his mouth shut, but the awe in his eyes was not at all hidden.

This thing…it was a walking suit of armor! Nothing like anything he had seen before! Their swords would probably shatter on contact, and even IF they got close he'd probably shoot them with that weapon.

The giant and the dog then stopped as they got in the middle of the camp, noticing the wagons, sleeping bags and the extinguished fires. "Someone was here…" it said in a male voice, though it sounded like it was through some kind of filter. It looked around as the dog began to sniff, moving to each of the fires.

"Might have been settlers…though it looks recent. Hey, find anything good, boy?" It asked as the dog sniffed a half-eaten piece of bread.

Suddenly, the dog's ears perked up and it barked loudly. The armored man turned and saw it running towards the wagon that Armin was in. The young boy froze in fear and did his absolute best to keep calm. Above him Mikasa and Eren tensed to rush down, but Erwin restrained them, shaking his head.

"Wait." He ordered.

"Find something, boy?" the armored man asked as they approached the wagon. Armin was on the verge of panicking. The Corps would be able to help him…right?

"Alright, one sec…" He said to his companion before putting the peculiar rifle upon his back. Then, with a heave of strength he rolled the cart over on its side, exposing Armin. The young lad screamed loudly in fear and backed away as far as he could, only to find himself against the cart with no escape.

Even with that movement, Erwin restrained the Corps hiding up in the trees. Levi helped, though it was difficult with the recruits. "Move down there and I'll break each one of your legs." He threatened, and it seemed to work.

Meanwhile, Armin felt hot tears running down his cheeks as he looked up at the giant in stupefied horror. The dog was barking loudly at him, though the giant stared at the boy. The only movement he did was turn off the music by pressing a button on a yellowish device on his left arm, then he returned his gaze to Armin.

"Bit of a bad spot to hide in, don't you think sport?" he asked him.

Still not believing he wasn't dead, Armin stuttered out a response. "P-Please don't kill me…" The giant put a hand near his mouthpiece and scratched it, as if he was in thought.

"Well…you don't look like one of those Skin-Changers, or a bandit…I guess your safe." He stated.

The dog stopped barking and immediately walked up to Armin, going over him with full height and began to sniff him. "W-What's he doing?" Armin stuttered as he cowered in fear.

"Just seeing if you're dangerous." The giant stated. "What's your name, kid?" "A-Armin. Arlert." Came the response as the dog got off and let out a light bark.

This caused the giant to nod and stroke the dog's ears, making it pant lightly with a semi-smile. "Well, nice to meet you, Armin Arlert. I'm Daniel Crockett, and this here is my good friend Dakota. Say hi, boy." Daniel stated.

Dakota barked at Armin, panting a little. "Now that we're acquainted, could you tell your guys to stop glaring daggers at me and get out of the trees and wagons? If I wanted you all dead, I'dve already killed most of you." He stated coolly.

Armin's eyes went wide as he heard what he said. "H-How do you know there's so many of us!?" he squeaked. "Well, not only did Dakota smell you guys, you all kept popping up on my visor...though I didn't wanna cause an unnecessary fight, waste ammo, have to clean up all the bodies, and so on. So…tell them they can come out." He ordered.

"Y-yes…alright guys, you can come out!"

The whole area came alive as Daniel saw so many people begin to repel down with the 3DMGs, all looking at Daniel and Dakota with awe and suspicion. Just because he didn't kill Armin doesn't mean he could be trusted.

Most of them were awed but some retained their composure despite the difficulty.

Even for a man like Erwin Smith.

He landed beside Armin and helped the boy up before looking right at the pair. His features were ice cold but there was obvious astonishment inside his eyes.

Obviously he was just as curious as everyone else.

"Forgive us for the display. We didn't know who…or in this case WHAT you were. You didn't harm Armin, so we know you're not hostile." He observed.

"Yeah, figured as much. Anyway, who are you guys? Some kind of expeditionary group?" Daniel asked.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scouting Legion. We are here on an expedition to retake a district many miles south of this location. We needed a rest, though you came along." He stated.

"Well, it's kind of a bad spot to pick. See, this is my territory in a sense." Daniel declared.

The soldiers all looked at each other, but then Levi stepped forward and looked up at the armored man with narrowed eyes. His stern expression hadn't changed…well, except for the slightly widened eyes and occasional glints of curiosity.

"Either you're an idiot or really well armed…though I'm going more towards the first one. It's impossible to hold back the Titans from crossing through here." The small man stated.

Daniel stared down at him then bent his knees so he could look at him square in the eyes and had a slightly arrogant tone in his voice.

"Listen up, Stumpy. I can kill those bastards quicker and more efficiently than you can with those swords. What, you jealous or something?"

"Listen to you talk how easy it is to kill Titans. That tin can compensating for something?" Levi asked, earning a few hoots from the soldiers.

"Even if it was compensating for something, its size alone would still be bigger than you." Daniel retorted.

A collective "Ooooohhh!" was heard from the soldiers, and Levi's eyebrows furrowed in a degree of rising anger. The tension was obvious as Levi began to reach for his sword and Daniel reaching for his rifle and Dakota growling slightly.

Suddenly a whooping cry came from the back of the soldiers, making them all turn.

"Oh no…" Levi muttered as he recognized the excited cries. Hanji came billowing through the crowd of soldiers, practically pushing them aside until she came right up to Daniel, breathing heavily and looking at him with the Crazy Eyes she was famous for.

This intimidated even Dakota as they both took a step back from the scientist.

"Oh…my…GOD! A WALKING AND TALKING SUIT OF ARMOR! Where did you come from?! What is that metal!? How are you talking?! What kind of weapon is that?! Why does that puppy-dog follow you?! What is-"

"Lady, lady! Calm down before you pass out!" Daniel shouted while holding his hands up. Even while Hanji calmed down a little, she still breathed heavily and a rope of drool hung from her mouth.

"Uh…is she always like this?" Daniel asked. "More or less." A soldier replied.

"I'm sorry, but how can you all not be as excited as I am when there's a GIANT METAL MAN IN FRONT OF US?!" she screamed loudly, all the while practically hopping up and down on the balls of her feet.

The soldiers were silent as they looked right at the Major, then waited for Daniel to make a response. "I…uh…I guess I would be pretty excited too?" He replied.

"Forgive Major Zoe. She gets a little…eccentric when around foreign items or researching Titans." Erwin stated, clearing his throat.

"So I've noticed. Anyway, All you soldiers have to know right now is that I'm not hostile unless you steal my tech or try to harm me and Dakota in any way." He stated. "But…where did you get the suit from?" Armin asked quietly.

"I made it…well, sort of. I did find the base skeleton but I modified the living crap out of it." "And where did you find such a suit?" Levi asked.

Before Daniel could answer though, he heard Dakota growling lowly. "What do you smell, boy?" he asked his companion. Mike answered before it could though, sniffing the air himself.

"Smells human, though they're angry. They stink of blood, shit and mud." He stated. The armored man let out a groan and grabbed his rifle before advancing forward.

"These cannibals never learn…Dakota, stay here and keep an eye on our new friends. I'll be right back." He stated as he pressed a button on his device, playing more of that peculiar but catchy music.

"Let us handle this. There's probably more of us than there are of them." Erwin stated.

"No, I got this. This ain't your problem." Daniel replied. "At least let some of my men come along for observation, then. just to see if you are capable of what you say." Erwin offered. It was very likely that Daniel could hold his own, but Erwin wanted confirmed reports from his soldiers that he could be trustworthy.

"Oh, alright…but if they get in the way, I won't be responsible for their injury." Daniel warned. "Alright. Hanji, Jean, Reiner and Armin. You assist Daniel as he clears out the approaching hostiles." Erwin ordered.

"Yes sir!" They responded as they followed the walking giant, still awed that they were even next to such a man. While they walked away, Erwin turned to see Dakota sitting at the edge of the group near the rock bluff, looking at them while panting.

"You trust this man so easily?" Levi asked the commander. "Yes…if I didn't, I wouldn't have sent my men with him." He replied. "What makes you think he won't kill them and come back for us?" Levi countered with an obvious edge to his voice.

The Commander turned to Levi and looked him square in the eyes. "Do you not trust my judgement?" he asked calmly. Levi stared for a moment, but then he sighed. "Alright…we'll give that tin asshole a chance."

Meanwhile, Daniel lead the way as the four soldiers followed him. "There's gonna be about eight of them hiding in the bushes up ahead, armed with bows and firelocks. They'll make hoots to intimidate us, but you stick by me and not get in the way of my shots and you'll do fine." Daniel stated.

"H-How do you know?" Armin asked.

"Because this is probably the fifth time I've beaten them off. They're degenerative savages that don't learn. They only know how to survive through raiding and scavenging. Almost makes you feel sad...though they're pretty much those Goliaths that walk around here." David commented.

"Hey, maybe wanna turn that music off so they won't hear us?" Jean asked, pointing to the device. "Nah, this is the only thing that keeps them from springing out right now. Besides, I like this song." Daniel replied with a smile behind his helmet and began to sing along to Big Maybelle's _Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On_.

As if on cue, there were odd hooting noises that started to overlap with the music. This made Daniel stop and activate his Visor, scanning for where the hostiles where in the bushes. Four on the ground level, two waiting in the tree branches, and apparently two hiding under Spider Holes in the ground.

Clever little bastards.

"Alright…what I'm gonna do is charge into the bushes and draw their fire. You then surprise them with your wire-gears or whatever and chop them up into-"

He was cut off as the sound of firelocks went off as well as the snap of bowstrings. The musket balls ricocheted off of the armor, making him sigh and turn to the savages that began to howl and charge at them.

They looked like one would expect: Tribal rags made of patchwork clothes, some looking more fitting on a noble's body, others that didn't match the gender of the wearer, and so on. The weapons were scavenged or makeshift as well, though the muskets were probably stolen from a district armory or outpost.

"Really, assholes?! I was putting a plan together then you…ah, fuck it. Plan B, kids. Kill them all." He stated as he drew his rifle. "Right…hope that gun works!" Reiner shouted as the soldiers drew their swords and got ready for the defense.

However, everyone faltered at hearing the sound of Daniel's rifle firing. The sound was alien, but not as alien as the concentrated beam of red that shot right out of the gun and into the first savage. He screamed loudly as the laser burnt through him and then disintegrated him into a pile of ash, hot and glowing.

The four soldiers stood stupefied in horror and awe as they witnessed this new tool of war, but the savages, delusional and adrenaline-fueled, charged right at the squad. "Hey, we still got seven more!" He shouted, cuffing Reiner on the back of the head. "R-Right! Let's kick their asses!"

A grim but short melee followed shortly, where savage and soldier were locked in combat. Sword collided with wooden spear and musket, gritting teeth and locking muscles. The savages had ferocity where the soldiers had experience, not to mention a steel giant on their side.

Several blasts came from the rifle as he killed two of the savages, though he got into close combat with a third one. His arm was torn off by Daniel and proceeded to be beaten to death with it, eventually going quiet by a heavy curb-stomp to the head.

Blood, bone and gray matter were sprayed everywhere on the boot and leg, though Daniel ignored this. The music continued to play while the soldiers finished the fight, no casualties as far as he could see. He saw Jean decapitate one of the savages, Reiner impale one with his blades, and Hanji managed to kill two birds with one stone thanks to Armin hamstringing one of them, allowing the madwoman to skewer them both.

The furor was over, leaving the soldiers breathing heavily. Each had some amount of blood upon them, but they looked up at Daniel, who nodded with approval. "You guys are good in a fight. Respect." He complimented simply.

Hanji was the first to break out of the stupor as she looked at the rifle, immediately running up to the giant and putting her hands on it. "What kind of a weapon is it?! What did it shoot?! Light?! Let me use it! Pretty please with sugar on top?!" She screamed, her inner scientist rushing out.

"Hey, hey! Hands off!" Daniel replied while shoving her onto her back. Despite tumbling into the soldiers and knocking them down like bowling pins, she got up with cat-like reflexes.

Suddenly though, she got on her knees in front of Daniel and gripped the gauntlet of his armor, looking up with pleading eyes. "Please let me use it! I'm begging you! PLEASE!" she shouted desperately.

Daniel was astonished by the desperate woman, briefly looking at the three soldiers who were just as shocked by Hanji's desperateness. "I'd think you better listen to her, Mr. Tin Man." Reiner suggested.

A great sigh followed and then Daniel nodded. "Alright, but BE CAREFUL." He said as he put the safety catch on the rifle and handed it to Hanji handle first. Her eyes widened as she took the weapon into her hands, a gasp escaping her lips as she held it.

The weapon was lighter than a matchlock musket, and was absolutely much more powerful. The magazine was nothing like she had ever seen in her life, and the slight hum that emitted from it mesmerized her.

Armin, Jean and Reiner gathered around it as Hanji looked on, closely looking at the muzzle and stock before looking up at the armored man.

"Its…it's beautiful. What is it?" Hanji asked, a rare moment of calm coming over her features.

"You want the full description or the short one?" Daniel asked.

Before any of the soldiers could say anything, Hanji piped up immediately. "Long, please!" She said as the rifle was taken back by the man.

"Well…that there is an AER9 Laser Rifle, customized by yours truly. It has a titanium housed crystal array which proved to withstand long years of exposure to the elements. Power's drawn from the Microfusion Cell in the chamber on the other side, and is diverted through a wave/particle diverter, which is protected by a carbon-fiber housing." He described.

"I outfitted this thing with a Boosted Capacitator on the back, an improved long barrel for some range, a recoil-compensating stock, a fine-tuned beam focuser and a reflex sight for better aiming." He stated, pointing out to each of the parts.

"Wow…that's a mouthful." Jean commented.

"Either way, this thing is deadly in the right hands, disastrous in the wrong ones." Daniel cautioned as he put the weapon on his back.

"Where'd you find that thing?" Reiner asked. "Same place as this Power Armor." Daniel casually said with a shrug.

"Power Armor?" Hanji asked with an excited look in her eye.

"Yeah…I'll tell you about it later. For now, I think we better get back to camp. I got a little proposition for the Commander that might be interesting..."

 **More will be revealed in the next chapter. Please feel free to make suggestions of what should happen in the comments or for pairings I should add inside. Who knows, there might be old factions appearing, and characters we thought we knew having much bigger secrets...but in any case, don't be afraid to suggest ideas!**


	2. Building Trust

**Apologies for not posting a new chapter so soon! College and work are weighing down upon me, but I managed to squeeze another in! I'll do my best to post a new chapter somewhere between one to two weeks, but I can't promise anything. Nevertheless, you all seem to enjoy this story, so I thank you for reading!**

Chapter 2: Building Trust

While the chaos went on in the forest, the scouts set up their camp once more, simply bidding their time for the party to return. There were whispers among them about Daniel, mostly voices of distrust and confusion.

"Did you see how easily he just flipped over that cart?" One soldier whispered.

"Yeah…that was incredible! What I wouldn't do for a suit like that!" another commented.

"Still, think the guy can be a bit of an asshole. No respect for authority." Oluo muttered softly.

"Well…I guess I can see your point. He did have balls talking to Captain Levi like that."

Meanwhile, Eren joined in with Levi as they both looked out at the forest, still keeping watch. An obvious look of suspicion was on his face as he waited, eyes glaring like daggers to the forest.

"Captain, are you alright?" Eren asked softly.

"I'm fine, Jaeger. Don't think about it." Came the reply.

"Y-Yes sir."

They continued the watch, soon hearing the sounds of the savages screaming and a peculiar firing sound. As tempted as they both were to go out there and aid the soldiers, Erwin had strict orders for them not to leave. This grated on Levi, but orders were orders.

The shouting and roaring off in the distance grew, but Levi kept quiet…only to ask Eren a question out of the blue.

"Tell me Jaeger…what do you think of Crockett?" The young man turned to him briefly before speaking.

"U-Uh…I'm not too sure, sir. He seems friendly, but he doesn't seem to view the Titans as a danger. I still don't know how he got that armor or weird gun, but if what he said about clearing off the Titans from this spot is true, then he could really help us take back the Walls." Eren stated.

Levi scoffed a little, but said nothing else. Eren then began to imagine the possibilities of Daniel's help, and the technology that he supposedly had.

In his mind, he pictured cache upon cache of those weird weapons and stores of that armor, each one eventually bearing the Wings of Freedom. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly at the thought of crushing the Titans in that armor, chasing them out of the Walls with tails between their legs. And why stop there? Why not have Daniel make more of these weapons and armor for the Scouting Legion? They'd show the people that the Legion is a force to be reckoned with, that all Titans should fear them, that Humanity will take back what is rightfully theirs…and that life can begin again.

"We will wipe you all out…with steel and fire…" Eren murmured, a sick grin coming across his lips.

He was brought back to reality by a cuff on the back of the head from Levi, who hadn't even taken his eyes off of the tree line.

"Stay focused, idiot." The Captain hissed.

"S-Sorry, sir. Do…do I have permission to ask a question?" the boy asked.

"Might as well." Levi responded. "Do you think there's actually technology down there?" he asked timidly. Levi was quiet for a rather long time, but he then spoke without looking at Eren.

"Maybe."

A few moments later though, the shots had stopped, and the silence stretched for a moment or so.

Either the savages were dead or Daniel slaughtered every last man.

"Sir?" Eren asked as Levi began to tense.

"Shut it." He snapped, silencing the young lad.

Soon, they could hear the hydraulic thumping once more, as well as music. Levi's eyebrows visibly loosened as he saw Hanji, Reiner, Jean and Armin approach, blood-spattered in some degree. However they had a slightly wide look in their eyes, especially Hanji.

That is either very good or very bad.

"What happened out there?! Are you guys alright?!" Eren shouted, jumping down from the rock and running up to the group.

"It…it was so beautiful…" Hanji murmured in a dream-like state.

"Ma'am?" Eren asked.

"She's talking about Mr. Crockett's Laser Rifle. It was…well, sufficient to say fucking EPIC." Reiner stated with a slight grin.

"Laser? What's a laser?" Eren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Try to imagine a beam of light that is amplified enough to punch a hole through a human's body." Jean stated grimly.

"You forgot the part where it turns them into ash." Reiner commented.

"Yeah, that too…it was definitely something, Jaeger." Jean finished.

Ignoring the dumb-founded Eren and gently moving past him, Daniel looked up at the glaring Levi from the bottom of the bluff, making eye-contact with a smirk behind his helmet.

"Hey there, Stumps. How's it going?" he asked.

"Just peachy, Trashcan. Looks like you didn't betray us after all." Levi observed.

Daniel then struck an exaggerated pose before speaking in a mock-horrified voice. "How could I betray such enjoyable company?" he asked, making Levi scoff once more.

The armored man giggled a little before speaking seriously. "I need to have a talk with your Commander. After seeing the way your ladies and gents could handle in a fight, I think I've got a little proposition he might like."

"Let me hear it first, then I'll deem it worthy of saying it to Commander Smith." Levi snapped.

"No, you don't understand. He and I need to discuss it personally. I doubt you'd be able to comprehend it, honestly." Daniel remarked.

"You're pushing your luck, asshole…" Levi threatened, but Daniel didn't seem intimidated at all.

"What are you gonna do, attack me? You wouldn't be able to even swing that high!" he challenged.

"You wanna bet?" Levi countered, starting to draw his sword.

"Big man in a suit of armor yapping about how brave and tough he is. Bet you ten coins that you wouldn't survive five minutes against a Titan without your armor." He challenged.

"You're on, pygmy!" Daniel shouted back.

"Boys, please! I think that's enough bickering! Now both of you cool it so Mr. Crockett can talk to Commander Smith!" Hanji snapped.

The two looked at the scientist, sighing in unison before turning back to each other.

"Alright…we'll settle this later." Daniel stated before moving along.

Levi simply let out a "Tch" before going along.

"Such boys men can be…" Hanji chuckled as the squad followed with her, all five surprised that there was no fight or shooting.

As they made their way back, the soldiers looked up with wide eyes at the bloodied troops. Mikasa immediately approached Armin and Eren with a slightly worried look, examining the blond-haired boy.

"Are you alright, Armin?" she asked with slight concern.

"I…I'm fine." He replied with a slight smile.

"Good…" Mikasa replied simply.

"Hey, what the hell happened out there?" Connie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a firefight with some savages. Crazed bastards never seem to learn." Daniel replied bluntly.

"We heard some fucked-up noises over there. Care to explain?" another soldier asked.

"I'm pretty sure Hanji could tell you guys the whole thing. Anyway, where's Dakota?" Daniel asked while looking around.

He heard the dog bark slightly but when he turned he smiled and chuckled a little. He saw a rather young blond girl petting the dog, smiling and stroking behind its swore this girl was the lovechild of two goddesses from the days of old…though she looked tiny.

Approaching her while holstering his rifle, he looked down at the pair. The girl's eyes widened as she looked up at the towering giant, and she immediately stopped petting the dog, standing up and shaking slightly.

"I see you've made friends with my pal. What's your name, kiddo?" he asked kindly.

"K-Krista Lenz, sir! I-I'm sorry, but h-he growled at me t-then I fed him some o-of my rations and…and…well…" She stuttered, hoping that Daniel wasn't going to be angry.

However, he merely put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. Dakota's usually not that nice with strangers…but you seem to have the magic touch." He said with a degree of admiration.

"T-Thank you, sir!" She replied with a nervous smile.

"You're welcome, Krista. Now, where's that commander of yours? I gotta have a talk with him."

At that, the Commander approached through the crowd, all clearing the way for him. They saluted as he passed, and he stood in front of Daniel and the squad that went with him.

"I want a full report after I hear Mr. Crockett's proposition, Hanji. Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" he asked coolly.

"Well, I've seen how your boys and girls defend each other, and I gotta say, it's pretty good teamwork." Daniel stated as he looked around at the Corps. "And…since you guys are out here doing recon, tryin' to rebuild humanity…I've been thinking of an idea." "

And that is?"

Daniel cleared his throat before turning and moving his hand over the forest tree line.

"You see this patch of land? How fertile it is? How green it is? How the place just…comes alive?" he asked him, though it was also indicated to the rest of the soldiers. They all looked at each other, and then they looked around at the forest. Yes…it was noticeably greener. They could hear crickets chirping, night owls hooting, the wind blowing, and even the grass seemed rejuvenated. It was a fertile land.

"It would be a perfect land if it wasn't for the Titans, eh?" Daniel asked with another wave of his hand.

"Yes…" came the answer unanimously.

"Well…like I said, I cleared this place out of Titans, and established a boundary for myself. They know to be afraid of me and my weaponry. They fear me." He said, putting emphasis by tapping his chest with both hands."

"What's your point? You'll single-handedly wipe out all the Titans?" Levi asked. "No…that's your job." Daniel replied with a smirk before continuing.

"I have an idea that has been rattling around in my mind for a while. You see, when I first came here there was…well, Titans. Everywhere. You couldn't take a step without bumping into them. But I cleared them out of this area. Alone. Granted, I had some help from the cache, but I CLEARED THEM OUT. Then I began to think, 'If I can clear them out, then can't I rebuild?' A glorious idea set upon me then. I saw a colony out in the woods, one where I created it as an outpost, then a town, and then a full-fledged city. A start of Humanity arising once more from this nightmare! Isn't that a good vision? One that you all have?"

The soldiers began to nod and talk among themselves, envisioning the city that Daniel talked about. It was a truly good vision…but impossible.

"Now it may be true that the Titans are many. They've been beating you all back deeper into the Walls, ain't that right? I'm sure you all remember what happened at your Wall Maria."

Daniel remarked. The soldiers all nodded grimly. Even after five years, the wounds were still fresh and sore. People that were there at the Fall of Shiganshina found repressed memories surfacing, especially from Eren.

He gritted his teeth as he remembered his mother being eaten by a grinning Titan, and that day where he vowed revenge and pledged to exterminate the Titans. He looked up at the armored man with obvious hope in his eyes. Could Daniel be their chance?

"I'm gonna be on the level with you all. I want to build a city. One where the people aren't afraid to go around and trade with others, not afraid to have their kids play outside, not afraid to hunt, to fish, to live. I'm just one man though. One man can make a difference, but many can change the world. Unity, brotherhood! That kind of thing which I am sure you all know well." Daniel stated.

Every soldier raised their eyebrows at the sound of his idea. Build a city in the middle of the woods? That was lunacy! Even Hanji wouldn't have suggested something like that!

"How crazy are you, tin man?" Connie asked suddenly.

"Almost as crazy as Hanji, but that isn't the point. All I'm asking is that you guys help me build here, and in return I'll give you some of my tech. The more you help me build, the better the tech. Sound like a deal?" He asked while putting his hands on his hips.

The soldiers were silent, but then they looked to Erwin Smith for an answer. It was obvious he was torn between decisions, his icy blue eyes narrowing in thought. They had to get upon their mission…but then again, carrying rifles like that could be of great benefit.

However, how would he be able to get people to help him build? He supposed the Survey Corps would be able to split, but who should he let stay? And more importantly, was it worth the risk? The risk of technology that Daniel could have been lying about? He had to be sure…every decision here could create life…or death.

"Let's work out the details…though I want to speak face to face, if that is alright with you." Erwin stated.

"No problem…but when we go into the place, make sure no one touches my Power Armor. Understood?" He replied.

"My men won't touch your equipment, no matter what." Erwin promised, casting his eyes over the slightly twitching Hanji. As much as she would love to play around in that suit, she obeyed Erwin's orders.

After all, he didn't want to break Daniel's sign of good faith.

"Alright, give me one sec…" Daniel commented.

The man then took a step back from the group and briefly rolled his shoulders back and held his arms out to his side. At that, the whole back end of the power armor began to open up, plates and coverings either separating or lifting. They heard a slight grunt as the occupant pulled himself out, followed by the hydraulic noise of the armor closing up. When Daniel stepped into view, it surprised all of them.

They had expected some futuristic-looking man dressed in the garb of bright colors and perhaps even with a bright smile. What they got was entirely different. Here stood a young man over six feet tall with tanned skin, piercing green eyes, jet black hair in a clean short cut, and a scar over his right eye as well as a few smaller ones upon his upper lip slightly hidden by the thin stubble-beard he had over his face.

He wore what looked to be a tattered olive drab military-style leather trench coat with matching fatigues, black gloves, black boots covered in dried mud and dirt, and for protection he seemed to wear what looked to be polymer combat armor shin guards, forearm guards and vest, all painted dark green.

Daniel couldn't help but smile a little as he looked at the surprised soldiers, then he put his hands on his hips with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Expected something different?" He asked, his voice deep and level with a slight twinge of a New England accent.

The soldiers continued to look from side to side, but then Erwin cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Thank you. Now, where is this private area?" he asked.

"Well, it's in the rock bluff. Don't worry, I'm going in unarmed like you." He replied.

"Very well then, lead the way."

While the two turned and left the area, Dakota approached the Power Armor and stood guard, sitting down beside it and staring at the soldiers. They looked at the leaving pair while Daniel approached a vine-covered spot on the bluff. He cracked his knuckles and pulled at them, only to reveal that the vines were a covering for the door. It blended in perfectly with the open dirt, making it seem like it grew from all sides.

It revealed a wooden door barred with steel, though it opened with a key that Daniel seemed to carry. Inside was a dark and nearly pitch-black cave, but Daniel pressed a button on his device, illuminating the path in front.

"What is that device on your arm?" Erwin asked.

"It's the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV, but just call it a Pip-Boy. This thing's my best friend, second only to Dakota." He replied.

"Looks useful." Erwin commented.

"You got no idea. Now, just wait a minute as I turn off some of the security inside."

As he disappeared inside the dark cave, Erwin turned to his Corps and saw the distrust and slight fear in a few of them.

"Don't be afraid. I'll signal for you to storm in if I require your assistance. Levi is in charge while I'm gone. This might be an all-night affair, so get some sleep."

"Sir, I'm still not trusting this asshole. Did you see how he was dressed? Not to mention the dark cave where-"

"I understand your concern, Levi. However, I have confidence that he is a man of his word. I wouldn't even consider his offer if I didn't think he was trustworthy." Erwin replied.

The smaller man let out a quiet huff, but he nodded in response to Erwin.

"Sir, could you manage to-"

"No, Hanji."

"But I didn't even say anything."

"I know what you were going to say, and it's still no."

"Aw…"

A few moments later Daniel emerged with a satisfied smile, shaking off what looked to be dirt. He cleared his throat when he saw the group conversing.

"Commander, the defenses are turned off. If you'd please follow me…" He instructed calmly.

"Lead the way, Mr. Crockett." Erwin replied. Soon, the men descended into the cave, the door closing behind them both.

The outside was dead quiet, with only the crickets chirping and the occasional cough from one of the soldiers.

"This better be worth it all…" Levi murmured under his breath, not taking his eyes off of the door.

"Take it easy, sir. Commander Smith can handle himself." Eren said, attempting to calm down the Captain.

"He's not invincible, brat. That's something we all should know well." Levi responded before turning and walking away, going to one of the relit fires.

Eren sighed a little, but Armin approached the young man.

"Don't worry, Eren. Everything will turn out just fine. You'll see."Armin comforted, smiling.

However, even as Eren smiled back, he could see the doubt in Armin's eyes. That same look floated around to each soldier, who cast glances at the door as they got ready to sleep.

What could happen in the next twelve hours could change their lives and perhaps the war on Titans forever.

Illuminating the dark cavern with his Pip-Boy light, Daniel led Erwin down the rocky path with a watchful eye. "What were the defenses you had to disable?" Erwin asked as they stepped over small rocks.

"Oh just tripwires, automatic turrets that spit bullets out, mines, and so on."

"Mines?" Erwin asked as he was about to take another step.

Immediately Daniel put a hand out and stopped him from going any further, a wide-eye look on his face.

"Don't…move." He cautioned as he bent down and moved a rock out to show a small metallic circular item with a glowing red button on the top.

"That's a mine, Commander. Should you have taken another step, you and I, well more you in this case, would have been blown to smithereens." He replied as he reached to the very top of the mine and pressed down on a certain spot, disarming it.

He let out a small sigh of relief before looking up at Erwin. Despite his cool face and ice-cold eyes, he could hear a faint sigh of relief come from his breath.

"Don't get so excited, Commander. You'll live…just follow my step, and don't make a sudden move until we get to the door." He instructed as he began to walk, this time carefully placing his steps.

"You turned off these mines, correct?" Erwin asked as he copied his steps. "By hand, yes. I really should install a ranged disabler. It's hard to remember where I put them all…" Daniel noted to himself.

After a few more minutes of careful stepping, they came to the threshold of a gigantic metal door. It looked like the shape to a normal vault someone would keep in a bank, but the metallic gray and black separated it. Not to mention a large 45 was painted upon the door, though it looked worn and old. It truly was peculiar, but Daniel moved about like it was nothing.

Approaching what looked to be a control panel of sorts, he unplugged a wire on his Pip-Boy and plugged it right into the panel, humming to _Uranium Fever_ while he did so.

" _Uranium Fever has gone and got me down..._ " He tutted to himself as the Pip-Boy showed an unlocking process on the screen.

Once it was fully unlocked, a ding noise was heard as well as the adorably famous Vault-Boy popping up with a thumbs-up sign. Daniel chuckled at the mascot he grew up with before turning to Erwin.

"What happens now?" He asked as he looked at Daniel. Suddenly, an alarm noise sounded as lights began to flash at the entrance of the door. Erwin took a step back in surprise and instinctively reached for his swords, only just remembering that they weren't there.

"Easy, buddy. This is just standard procedure." Daniel smirked as he patted the astonished Erwin on the shoulder.

He wasn't lying. It really was a cache of a sort. Now to see if he was telling the truth about the weapons. Daniel stood in front of the door as it made a squealing noise retracting backwards, then it rolled to the side, revealing the start of a very high-tech entrance, clean and slate-colored.

The young man held his arms open and said with a rather proud voice, "Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps, welcome to Vault 45!"

Meanwhile, the soldiers above got themselves ready for sleep. Sleeping mats were unrolled, bodies thumped onto them exhausted, but none could fall asleep. They kept thinking about the way Erwin just…trusted Daniel.

What was it about him that made the Commander just follow him into the dark cave?

The lure of supposed technology, or something else entirely?

Either way, they noticed that the man radiated charisma, especially when talking to Hanji.

"You think the Commander's gonna be ok?" Connie asked Armin as they began to tuck into their sleeping mats.

"I…I think so." He responded, sounding unsure.

"Come on guys, I'm sure Commander Eyebrows is gonna be fine." Jean muttered as he turned over in his sleeping mat. "Now go to sleep."

Both of the boys huffed before laying their head down on the mats.

One thing all the soldiers couldn't help but notice was that Levi's eyes never left the rock bluff nor the power armor. The distrust was obvious in his eyes, staring daggers into the rock.

However, when he set his eyes set upon the power armor for a few minutes, he blinked in sudden surprise.

Faintly, as if in another dimension only he could hear, the sound of guns firing began to echo around him.

They were followed by men shouting in two languages, one in English and another that sounded foreign and sing-song like, possibly an Asian language.

They screamed in pain, rage and fear as the gunshots and explosions rang out, and patriotic songs about peace, victory and glory in both languages could be heard, all combining to form the symphony of war.

Levi began to cringe as he heard the wounded wail, the dying screams, and it was only made worse by the emotionless helmet staring back at him, coupled with the grinning shark smile on the chest.

As Levi looked on, he swore he saw the smile grow wider and slowly shift to that of a Titan's grin, faint maddening laughter echoing over the sounds of brought memories of Isabel and Farlan's deaths as well as so many of the Survey Corps…bringing an unbridled tear of anger and grief to his eye while he began to get up, his face twisting in growing rage.

"Shut up…shut up!" He began to roar, only to feel a warm hand on his shoulder and a soft angelic voice in his ear.

"Captain…are you alright?"

Levi immediately felt reality rushing back to him as he turned to see the concerned looks of Petra, Oluo, Eld and Gunther. Seeing his Special Operations Squad brought balance and reality back into Levi's system, and he let out an uneasy breath. His skin felt cold and he wiped sweat from his forehead, sighing irritably as he felt dirty.

"I'm fine…just go to sleep. All of you." He ordered.

"Yes, sir." Came the reply from all four as they departed, though not without a worried glance at their squad leader.

Levi let out a small breath once they were gone, though he looked back up at the power armor once more. The smile had returned to its normal state, and the sounds were gone.

"I must be going crazy…" he muttered to himself as he laid his head back, staring up at the sky. Dawn would be coming in a few hours, and even he needed at least a couple hours of sleep.

So he closed his eyes and let out one more sigh, hoping that tonight there would be no nightmares.

The next morning came swiftly, the rising sun staining the sky a pinkish red. Its rays flew over the tree tops and onto the open glen where the corps rested. Armin was the first to wake up, blinking his eyes open.

Sitting up and stretching with a yawn, he smacked his lips and stood up, looking around at the sleeping soldiers.

Of course Levi was already awake, though he was always like that.

"Morning, brat." Levi responded before sipping from a hot cup of ration tea.

"M-Morning, sir." Armin responded as he looked around once more. No sign of Erwin at all.

"The Commander didn't come up yet?" He asked shyly.

"Nope. Still down there. Probably dead but we'll see." Levi responded.

However, Armin looked closely at the Captain. Was that sweat on the back of his neck and forehead? It wasn't that warm out to be sweating in the bead mats…maybe something else?

"Got a staring problem?" Levi snapped. "N-No sir!" Armin replied. "Good."

Armin briefly stood up and walked around the camp, seeing the power armor that stood bare. He walked up to it and looked up at its visor, feeling rather small under it. The shark glare didn't scare him as much as unnerve him, but he couldn't help but feel like there was more to it and its owner than meets the eye.

How could a stash of technology like this be stored out here and no one knew about it but him?

He was about to reach up but he heard Dakota growling off to the side. Turning his head he saw the dog was lying beside the power armor, looking right at Armin with its brown eyes and slightly bared teeth.

"E-Easy boy! I'm only looking!" He stuttered, backing away.

The dog seemed to stop growling when Armin was a couple meters away, and then it let out a yawn before lying back down. The boy sighed and even cracked a slight smile.

At least he was a loyal companion to his master.

His thoughts were broken by the heavy buzzing of Hanji's snoring, making him turn to see her open mouthed and drooling while she slept. The Major was weird in more ways than one…

Suddenly, he could hear faint music playing behind the door, as well as two men laughing slightly. Levi and Armin immediately perked up and moved towards the door, though Levi was the more suspicious of the two.

"Stay back, brat." He ordered as he began to reach for his sword.

The music grew louder as the laughing faded as it grew closer to the door. Then it was flung open by Daniel and Erwin, both in a soft fit of laughter. Both Armin and Levi raised their eyebrows as they looked at the two, though it was good to see the Commander relaxing slightly.

"That was a funny joke about the communist, Mr. Crockett." Erwin commented as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah well, I don't get it myself but hey, it made us laugh." Daniel replied as he took a sip from a bottle filled with a black carbonated drink. It said _Nuka Cola_ on the bottle, though neither of the soldiers had any idea what that meant.

"Sir…are you alright?" Armin asked with a concerned look.

"Yes I am, Armin. I haven't had a laugh that hard in ages…" Erwin replied.

"What the hell was down there, anyway?" Levi asked with suspicion.

Both of the men looked at each other before looking at Levi.

"Levi…there is untold amount of technology down there…things that you wouldn't believe. Suits of his Power Armor (which I found his is the T-60f model), weapons of which I have never seen, machines that moved on their own came to his aid, food and drinks that seemed to give a man power…it was just…words fail to describe it, Levi."Erwin stated with obvious awe, a rare thing for the Commander to do.

This made Levi scratch his chin with some interest. If Erwin was saying such things…

"Now we need to get down to business. Wake everyone up." Erwin commanded, returning to his usual cool self.

"Yes sir." Levi responded as he motioned for Armin to help. They then went around waking up everyone in systematic order, though Armin was much more gentle than Levi, who kicked several of the soldiers awake.

They all groaned and awoke, some daring to complain at how early it was, until their eyes widened at the sight of Erwin and Daniel standing there.

"Corps, fall in!" Levi ordered, all the soldiers falling into a rank-and-file formation, waiting patiently for Erwin to speak. It was hard to keep the excitement and suspense off their faces though.

"Soldiers of the Survey Corps, we have made a deal. Daniel Crockett has shown me the depths of his cache, which he calls Vault 45. We have struck a deal that could possibly change the course of this expedition as well as the war upon the Titans. He agrees to give us shipments of weapons and armor in return for a few men to stay here with him to build a settlement, and possibly continue to build more. A fine bargain, if you ask me."Erwin stated, the looks on everyone's faces brightening.

"Daniel will give you further details on the bargain." Erwin concluded as the younger man stood up and took another sip of his drink before setting it down. When he stood up, he had the air of a local leader, as if he were a mayor speaking to his citizens.

Daniel let out a loud whistle, and the door opened behind him, followed by mechanical movements. The entire Corps balked at the sight of the six Protectron robots clunking out of the cave, each pair carrying a heavy metal crate.

Even Levi's eyes widened a little at the sight of the machines, though Hanji could barely contain her excitement.

"Oh my God…walking metal men without a pilot!" she squealed, almost breaking formation.

Levi put a tight hand on her hair, pulling her back and shaking his head. It was like trying to hold back a weeaboo from going into an anime store.

"These Protectrons are one of the many technologies I have in the Vault. However, I would like to direct your attention to the crates as they open." Daniel instructed as the soldiers turned to the crates.

The clunking Protectrons opened them by entering a code, and with a hiss and a pop, the crates opened their lids. Daniel approached the first two crates and reached in, pulling out a rifle very similar to that of the one he had.

"These are the Laser Rifles I told you all about last night. This time though, I have modified them to be useful for killing Titans." He then began to point out the properties of the rifle, pointing to the modifications.

"There's two modes: Automatic and Semi-Automatic. Automatic you fire many beams by just holding the trigger, and Semi-Auto you fire as many times as you pull the trigger. They have been amplified so that you can shoot right through a Titan's neck, but for more power and piercing it has to be on Semi-Auto. Understand that?" He asked, and the soldiers all nodded.

"Now, I only have thirty total in two of these crates. Fifteen will be going to the best marksmen of the squads going outside, and the rest are going to stay here with the people I hand-pick to stay with me for a little bit of honest labor." He told.

This caused confusion over the ranks, looking around at each other before looking at Erwin, who's face became stern. This caused them all to resume formation and pay attention to Daniel.

"Ah yes…one little gift for every one of you…just so we can all keep in contact." He said when they opened the third case. Inside were dozens of Pip-Boys in pristine condition and working order, all waiting to be activated and worn. He reached down and brought one up, showing everyone what it was.

"These here are Pip-Boys! Same thing I wear on my own arm!" He said while holding his left arm up to show the Corps.

"You all get one of these as a personal helper and as a device to keep you all connected. It'll help you keep track of your inventory, your vital signs, and also lock onto any signals coming from an area. Use it wisely." He instructed, remembering reading the mishaps of people messing with them in Vault 45's records.

Every man and woman looked up with interest, astounded that such a thing existed. At this point though, Levi couldn't hold Hanji back. She let out a wild whoop and dashed right at Daniel, billowing through a few unfortunate soldiers.

Erwin didn't bother to restrain Hanji. It'd be useless.

"By the Walls, PUT THAT THING ON MY ARM!" she screamed while holding Daniel in a strong grip with one hand and thrusting her left arm.

Dakota growled at her when he saw the way she manhandled his owner, but when she set those crazed eyes upon him, the dog stopped and let out a slightly frightened whimper.

"Ok, ok! Jeez, woman…" Daniel muttered as he took her wrist and attached the Pip-Boy on the quivering woman's wrist.

"Oh GOD yes…strap it on, strap it on!" She said almost erotically.

"Sweetheart, there's something wrong with you." Daniel murmured as he flipped a few switches and pressed the power button. A long list of code in green began to pour over the screen, and then finally a section of words came on after the codes had finished.

 _COPYRIGHT 2075 ROBCO[R]_

 _LOADER V1.1_

 _EXEC. VERSION 41.10_

 _64k RAM SYSTEM_

 _38911 BYTES FREE_

 _NO HOLOTAPE FOUND_

 _LOAD RAM[1]: DEITREX 303_

Then, the image of Vault Boy appeared on the screen, giving the thumbs up to Hanji as the Pip-Boy finally initialized. The scientist let out a loud squeal of joy as it finally loaded.

"HE'S SO ADORABLE! What's his name?!" she squeaked.

"Erm…Vault-Boy. Anyway, let me explain to you how it-"

"I want to figure out for myself!" She howled as she began to flip through the switches and press several buttons, looking at the inventory, the statistics of her body, her S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, the map of the local area, the compass, and the many other bells and whistles of the Pip-Boy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She shouted as she suddenly brought Daniel into a tight embrace, squeezing through the armor and coat. It felt like someone put him in a vice and he let out several groans of pain while she hugged him.

"Y-You're welcome, Hanji…h-hey, c-can I have some air now?" he almost begged in a strangulated voice. When she wasn't looking, the Vault-Boy on her Pip-Boy had a worried face and made a cuckoo-sign with his finger.

Once she let go of the poor man, he took in a gasp of breath and coughed briefly before wiping his mouth and resuming whatever dignity he had. He couldn't blame the Survey Corps for finding difficulty in restraining their laughter.

"And I thought you were strong, Erwin…" Daniel murmured with a slight chuckle as Hanji went back into formation, ogling at her new Pip-Boy. Once Daniel had retained whatever posture he had, he cleared his throat then spoke clearly and loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's true that I have some beautiful technology. It wins wars, there is no question about this. However…I was afraid of giving them to you all. I've seen how men and women can use these things for evil, for greed and for terror. I feared what would happen should a military group like yourself would do. However…your Commander Erwin has told me that you are all the best and brightest of Humanity, and that you can be trusted. I have no idea how he did it, but he has a way with words. So for the sake of myself and your Commander…don't make me regret this choice."

He murmured softly as he looked at each of them. He knew that these were good men, if Erwin was to be believed. Daniel had been waiting for a chance like this…to arm humans once more to defend themselves.

It was almost like the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America he had read about in the records. Crockett just prayed that Humanity would not abuse this power that he was about to give them.

"Now…who wants breakfast?"

 **I promise there will be action soon as well as explanations on what a Vault is doing in that area (Even though it isn't America). Also, please tell me who I should pair with who in the story as well as ideas as to who should stay behind and who should continue with the original mission idea. Once again, thank you for reading!**


	3. Character SPECIAL Statistics

**This is just a little guide for people if they were wondering what the cast's S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats are. The next chapter is still in progress, but it will be here relatively soon. I just need to know who should stay behind at the settlement as well as who should go ahead on the mission with the gear.**

Attack on Titan S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats

 **Eren Jaeger**

 _Strength- 7_

 _Perception- 4_

 _Endurance- 8_

 _Charisma- 3_

 _Intelligence- 4_

 _Agility- 6_

 _Luck- 3_

 **Mikasa Ackerman**

 _Strength- 9_

 _Perception- 5_

 _Endurance- 9_

 _Charisma- 2_

 _Intelligence- 4_

 _Agility- 8_

 _Luck- 4_

 **Armin Arlert**

 _Strength- 3_

 _Perception- 7_

 _Endurance- 5_

 _Charisma- 5_

 _Intelligence- 8_

 _Agility- 5_

 _Luck- 5_

 **Jean Kirstein**

 _Strength- 5_

 _Perception- 6_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 7_

 _Intelligence- 6_

 _Agility- 7_

 _Luck- 5_

 **Sasha Blouse**

 _Strength- 5_

 _Perception- 8_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 5_

 _Intelligence- 3_

 _Agility- 7_

 _Luck- 7_

 **Connie Springer**

 _Strength- 3_

 _Perception- 4_

 _Endurance- 6_

 _Charisma- 5_

 _Intelligence- 3_

 _Agility- 9_

 _Luck- 6_

 **Christa Lenz**

 _Strength- 3_

 _Perception- 5_

 _Endurance- 5_

 _Charisma- 8_

 _Intelligence- 6_

 _Agility- 6_

 _Luck- 9_

 **Ymir**

 _Strength- 7_

 _Perception- 6_

 _Endurance- 5_

 _Charisma- 3_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 7_

 _Luck- 5_

 **Bertholdt Hoover**

 _Strength- 7_

 _Perception- 5_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 4_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 6_

 _Luck- 6_

 **Reiner Braun**

 _Strength- 9_

 _Perception- 5_

 _Endurance- 8_

 _Charisma- 4_

 _Intelligence- 4_

 _Agility- 3_

 _Luck- 3_

 **Annie Leonhardt**

 _Strength- 8_

 _Perception- 6_

 _Endurance- 9_

 _Charisma- 1_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 8_

 _Luck- 7_

 **Hanji Zoe**

 _Strength- 7_

 _Perception- 6_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 6_

 _Intelligence- 10_

 _Agility- 7_

 _Luck- 9_

 **Mike Zacharias**

 _Strength- 9_

 _Perception- 10_

 _Endurance- 8_

 _Charisma- 5_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 8_

 _Luck- 5_

 **Petra Ral**

 _Strength- 6_

 _Perception-5_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 7_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 8_

 _Luck- 5_

 **Oluo Bossard**

 _Strength- 6_

 _Perception- 4_

 _Endurance- 7_

 _Charisma- 4_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 6_

 _Luck- 2_

 **Levi Ackerman**

 _Strength-10_

 _Perception-7_

 _Endurance- 10_

 _Charisma- 3_

 _Intelligence- 5_

 _Agility- 10_

 _Luck- 1_

 **Erwin Smith**

 _Strength- 8_

 _Perception- 7_

 _Endurance- 9_

 _Intelligence- 9_

 _Charisma- 10_

 _Agility- 8_

 _Luck- 6_

 **Daniel Crockett**

 _Strength- 7_

 _Perception- 7_

 _Endurance- 10_

 _Charisma- 8_

 _Intelligence- 7_

 _Agility- 4_

 _Luck- 10_

 **Also, tell me what parts of Fallout you would like to see appear (Brotherhood of Steel, Old World Remnants, certain Wasteland Monsters etc.) and any other factions that you see fit to appear in the story. Other than that, the third chapter is on the way!**


	4. Divide and Conquer

**Wow...that was a lot of reviews you all gave me! Thank you for the ideas! While some may not work due to the location and the involvement other factions (which I may slightly modify), I've had to cut some ideas short. Nevertheless, the story will go on, and I thank you once again for all your input!**

Chapter 3: Divide and Conquer

At the sound of Daniel's voice, the door flung open once more to show two more machines exiting the cave. Once more, every soldier balked at the sight of the sphere-shaped robots that seemed to levitate before their eyes with three long mechanical stalks for eyes and three arms at the base of their stems, one with a saw, another with a blowtorch, and a hand-like appendage on the third. However, one was painted blue and another was painted white, showing the difference between the two.

"Good morning, members of the Scouting Legion! My name is Hargreaves, Mr. Handy Model #1342, butler and servant to Mr. Daniel Crockett himself, and this is my associate and partner Mrs. Nanny Model #4975, or simply Margaret! We are to serve you breakfast and refreshments before your journey outside of the settlement!" the blue robot said in a stereotypical British accent.

"Today, we have two options: Salisbury Steak with a side of Blanco Mac n' Cheese or a package of YumYum Deviled Eggs with a side of Cram. Nonalcoholic beverages for today are Purified Water and Nuka-Cola carbonated soda and all of its flavors (Cherry, Quantum, Quartz, Victory, Clear), and alcoholic beverages on tap (Beer, Whiskey, Vodka, Tequila, Wine, and Scotch) are available to those above the age 18." The white robot said in a female French accent.

Of course, the soldiers had no idea what the food would look or taste like, but if it was better than the rations they had, why not give it a try? Food was scarce enough as it is. Sasha knew hunger well enough, and at the sound of steak she began to stare at Margaret with a rope of drool hanging from her mouth.

"Erm…is she going to be alright, Monsieur Smith?" Margaret asked with some concern.

"Oh don't worry about her, Margaret! Sasha usually gets like this around food." Connie stated, though he never took his eyes off of the robots jet propulsion thrusters that kept them afloat.

"Ah I see! Well, she will be thoroughly satisfied with the food we will bring out!" the Mrs. Nanny replied.

"Now, please form a single-file line so that we may take your order and prepare it properly!"

At that, the Corps broke formation, with Sasha darting at the front of the line and Hanji in hot pursuit, focused more on the robots than the food.

Orders came swiftly as the robots processed the wide-eyed faces of the soldiers and their orders, matching them quicker than a human waiter would.

"Oh, I have so many questions for you all! How are you floating?! How do you talk like us?! What's with the weird voice?! How did-" "Please ma'am, calm down! All your questions will be answered during breakfast!" Hargreaves cried out while extending an arm to hold back Hanji.

Levi sighed behind her and shook his head.

"I nominate leaving her here…" He spoke out loud.

While the orders were being taken, Daniel briefly descended into the cave and gathered up targets as well as a case of air rifles from the Vault. The air rifles had the same amount of kick as the Laser Rifles, making him assume these were here for training purposes.

They were the standard target practice sheets typically used at a range, though the targets wore the drab color of the Chinese Commandos' uniforms on body section.

If Daniel remembered correctly from a record in the many terminals of Vault 45, two countries way before the age of the Titans known as the United States of America and the People's Republic of China were at war with each other, going so far as to rain invisible fire down upon each other as well as the allies of their enemies.

A wealth of knowledge and propaganda was available about both countries, including the strange pictorial language the Chinese wrote and spoke in, though he guessed that the makers of the Vault were on the Americans' side due to most of the information being bad things about the Chinese and their form of government called "Communism".

The two countries fought over resources as well as territories, and this had caused Daniel to sigh.

Greed would be Humanity's downfall, this he knew.

Another reason why he was nervous showing the Vault's insides to Erwin.

The Corps upstairs hadn't even scratched the surface of Vault 45, but the real secrets would stay under cover…until the people that stay behind show they can let go of the power he would give them.

It was like a man named Abraham Lincoln once said in an American History textbook he read, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Daniel prayed to God that he made the right decision sharing this power.

A few moments later as he was going up the cave, he saw four of the Protectrons taking the Power Armor that was outside in for cleaning. He saw Hargreaves and Margaret following behind, tutting softly to themselves.

"You guys doing alright?" he asked with a smile.

"Of course, monsieur! A lovely group of people, these Survey Corps soldiers are!" Margaret replied cheerfully.

Daniel raised a sarcastic eyebrow at that. "Oh really? Even the woman with the glasses and the midget?"

"Erm…Ms. Hanji's a rather curious bird, but I must say the short man is rather cheeky little fellow." Hargreaves added.

"Believe me, it gets worse. Anyway, you got all the orders?" Daniel asked.

"Yes sir! We are going down to prepare the meals! I assume you're going to test their firing abilities?" Hargreaves asked.

"Yep. Let's see if they can shoot as much as they can swing."

Meanwhile, several of the soldiers gathered around the crates, looking at the rifles as well as the Pip-Boys. The two remaining Protectrons allowed them to take the Pip-Boys, but immediately denied access to the Laser Rifles.

"Aw come on! Can't I just touch it?" Reiner asked.

"No-touching-the-weapons-until-the-administrator-returns."The Protectron replied in a mechanical voice.

"I won't break it, I promise!" he continued, trying to appease to the robot.

It responded with the same answer, though a small taser popped out of its left hand, showing it meant business. "Whoa, whoa…take it easy metal man." Reiner said with his hands held up slightly.

At the Pip-Boy crate, several of the soldiers began to try on the devices, locking them securely onto their forearms. The same loading screens followed, though each reaction was varied.

Some of the more younger soldiers had open awe at the sight of Vault-Boy and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. screen.

Of course they had no idea what that meant, but each one of them had different ranks and ratings.

"Hey, how do you play those noises like Daniel was doing?" Connie asked as he worked the dials.

"I-I think you do this." Bertholdt said from behind as he twisted a knob on Connie's Pip-Boy. Suddenly, music began to blast out of it, making him shriek loudly and jump back, sweating profusely.

Bertholdt's Vault-Boy copied the same motion, though it was much more comical with his over-exaggerated expression.

"Hey, hey! Relax, man!" Connie replied as he found the volume knob. _Uranium Rock_ began to play, causing him to smile a little.

"Hey, this ain't that bad!" He replied, starting to move with the beat. "H-Hey! How did you do that?!" Eren called out as he ran towards Connie. "I dunno, man…but this song is catchy!" Connie grinned as he began to groove to the beat.

Mikasa, Armin, and Sasha continued to work on their own Pip-Boys, but they were confused about the stats.

"I wonder what some of these mean…" Armin murmured as he looked at the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. statistics.

"I dunno, but this little guy is hilarious!" Sasha replied with a smile as she watched Vault-Boy demonstrating the Agility area of the stats.

"What do you think, Mikasa? You've been awful quiet." Armin observed.

Mikasa merely stared at her Pip-Boy, not even flicking through the Vault-Boy was cheerful at first, but then it dissolved into the emotionless face she had as it stared right back at Mikasa.

"…it's alright." She murmured.

At another corner, Levi and Erwin worked on their own Pip-Boys, turning the dials and testing out everything.

"Curious devices, aren't they?" Erwin asked quietly.

"Yes…find the little bastard on here annoying though." Levi muttered as Vault-Boy gave the thumbs up to him when the Pip-Boy loaded.

"I'm sure there's a mode where you can disable him…but we still haven't decided who will stay and go." Erwin reminded.

"True…" Levi murmured as he looked over at the conversing soldiers. When he wasn't looking, the smiling Vault-Boy on his Pip-Boy sneered and stuck his tongue out at him.

Erwin struggled not to let out a snicker.

"I think I know a few people who could stay. Definitely a few of the younger brats…" Levi murmured.

"Like?" Erwin asked.

"Definitely Arlert, Springer and Blouse…maybe Kirstine…we can't have Jaeger staying here, need him to lead us to his home…and Ackerman would just be attached to Jaeger like a tick. Maybe have Hoover and Braun stay here…still debating on that one. Petra and Oluo…I think they should stay here too."Levi murmured.

"You're splitting up your squad?" Erwin asked with a tone of surprise.

"Yeah, they can handle themselves out here, and they'll report any suspicious information to me when we return." Levi stated. Erwin nodded in agreement.

"Still don't trust me, huh?"

Both of the men wheeled around to see Daniel standing right behind him with that smirk on his face.

"How did you get here so quietly?" Levi asked.

"When you've lived in these parts for about ten years, you learn a few things. Anyway, can you all gather up the soldiers? I'd like to test if they have a certain skill." Daniel stated, motioning to the targets and box of air-rifles he carried.

"You're going to see if they can shoot?" Erwin asked.

"Yep. Might as well. These are training rifles I have, near-exact replicas of the Laser Rifles. Same weight, kick, and look. Only thing is they don't shoot lasers."

He described as he flicked open the case to show the rifles. They were small and compact, though they looked well enough to hurt somebody.

"The military of the Vault used these for practice I think, though the training area was rather small. Nevertheless, I think this will do well. Can you call everyone over, please?"

"Yes. Soldiers, form up!" Erwin shouted, making everyone stop what they were doing.

Even Hanji perked up from ogling at Vault-Boy before joining the formation of the soldiers.

"Right now we are going to be testing your accuracy with these here practice rifles! They got the exact same feel as the real ones right there but they're safe, so don't worry about blowing one another's heads off. Still…don't point at each other. Now…a little safety lesson before we begin." Daniel instructed.

"I'm pretty sure we know how to use a gun, Crockett." Levi interjected.

At that, Daniel's face grew dark and he set his eyes upon Levi. They blazed angrily, causing the rest of the Corps to tense up.

"Listen here, Stumpy. Gun safety isn't a joke. You mess up once, you might end up shooting your friend's face off, or it'll jam right at the wrong time. Get that through your skull, or I'll shove it in there for you." He said darkly.

Suddenly though, his face became business as usual when he turned back to the stunned soldiers.

Even Levi gaped a little at the man's ability to just change moods at will, though he let out a small "tch" to cover his surprise.

"Anyway, once we are done, we'll be dining with the breakfast you all ordered. Now, returning to the lesson…"

Daniel then proceeded to show the soldiers the functions of the training weapon, ESPECIALLY the safety. He'd read about some rather gruesome accidents with any kind of firearm, ranging from the ballistic assault rifles and shotguns to the laser and plasma weaponry.

He also showed how to load and reload, sliding in the false Fusion Cell to show what it was like. The weapon lit up to show it was "energized", though it would just shoot ballistic pellets. He made sure each one of the soldiers thoroughly understood what he was talking about, individually showing each one the rifle after the main overview.

Once done, he walked a great distance away, setting up the targets on rocks and trees to form a makeshift firing range. There were several lined up in a uniform way, three across so he could see how accurate the soldiers' aims were.

"First up…is Eren Jaeger, Jean Kirstein, and Connie Springer!" He called out. Every soldier looked at each other with wide eyes before looking at him.

"How the hell do you know our full names?!" Jean called out.

"Well, I knew yours already but the Pip-Boys are linked to mine, just so I can keep an eye on you all." Daniel admitted.

"That's kinda creepy, man…" Reiner murmured as he looked at his Pip-Boy with suspicion.

"What, you think they're gonna blow up on my command?" Daniel asked sarcastically.

"Uh…I have no idea what they're gonna do." He replied.

"Look, it's just so that Erwin and I can monitor your vital signs and so we all can stay connected should trouble arrive. Besides, didn't have enough materials to make them detonate." Daniel remarked jokingly, though it seemed to worry several of the soldiers.

"Anyway, you're all up, gents!" he called out as he gave the rifles to the three. As they got up to the makeshift line, Daniel stopped them briefly so he could speak.

"One thing you can use is something called the Vault-Tech Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. as it's called. Basically you just gotta focus on the target, and the V.A.T.S. will lock onto it, showing different areas you can hit as well as their percentages. You can hit as many points on the target as your Action Points allow it. You'll know how many you have left by how tired you feel. Just don't expect to sprint after using V.A.T.S. a lot. Now…give it a try."He instructed.

The three looked at him as if he had grown a second head suddenly, but he had an utterly serious look.

"Well, might as well appease the crazy guy." Jean said with a sigh as he aimed down his sights.

Suddenly, he heard a zooming noise, followed by his vision zooming in on the target. Time seemed to slow down as he stared at the target, utterly shocked. He could see six spots on the target, each one marked with their own percentages.

 _Head- 63%_

 _Left Arm- 50%_

 _Right Arm- 50%_

 _Torso- 95%_

 _Right Leg- 46%_

 _Left Leg- 39%_

Seeing the torso was easiest to hit, he moved his eyes onto it, seeing the target spot highlighted bright green. He fired a single shot at it, and confirmed it with a pull of the trigger. The weapon fired silently but it hit the target in the chest, making everyone's eyes widen.

Reality came rushing back to Jean's head, just in time to see Connie and Eren shoot, though they more or less hit the target.

"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Connie exclaimed with obvious delight.

"That…that was something." Jean remarked.

However, when they turned to Eren he looked rather angry at the target. He had missed.

"Hey, not everyone's going to land their first shot with a rifle, Jaeger." Jean commented.

"No, it's not that!" Eren snapped.

"Then what's your problem this time?" He asked with slight irritation.

"I…I…I couldn't read the fucking symbols, alright?!"

"Oh I forgot…you're illiterate." Jean mused.

"Illiterate?" Daniel asked with legitimate surprise.

"Yes, I can't read for shit, alright?" Eren muttered.

However, Daniel smiled a little.

"Then it's time to rely on manual aiming. Once you boys run out of ammo, it's the next three's turn. Understood?" he asked clearly.

"Yes sir." All three replied.

The hour passed on like that, with all the soldiers taking turns shooting at the targets. Each set of three was replaced by another, though there were some questions at what the targets actually were. "Enemies from another time. Keep firing." Daniel merely replied as he tapped things into his Pip-Boy.

He paid careful attention to each soldier as they went up and fired shots at the targets, and how often they used V.A.T.S. as well.

Most of them seemed fairly accurate…though he noticed the ones with a higher perception shot better. Still, Daniel had to be careful in choosing.

He could use some soldiers here for labor and who know how to use a rifle, but then again, he thought that the Corps needed them more than he did. His travels through Wall Maria taught him that there are worse creatures out there than Titans…

Soon, the soldiers had all gone up and shot. He recorded each of their names and how they did on the targets. Inspecting each of the targets while they watched him, he nodded silently to himself.

It'd be a hard decision…

"Well, some of you have natural talents when it comes to aiming. Others…well, you best stick to your swords, but don't take it too personally. Not all of us are meant to be marksmen." Daniel stated while looking up at the soldiers.

He noticed Hanji was eyeing the rifles with maddened interest, though he knew she wouldn't touch them…yet.

"After breakfast, Erwin and I will announce who will stay and who will continue on the mission for the Scouting Legion. For now…I think you've all deserved some food."

As if on cue, Hargreaves, Margaret and two Protectrons came out with trays of food as well as plates and utensils for food. The soldiers cast wide-eyed glances at the robots, though Sasha began to salivate at the smell of the Salisbury Steak that was being brought out.

"Bon appetite!" Margaret called out as the robots began to dispense the meals to each of the designated customers. The smells were peculiar to them, as they merely lived on a vegetarian diet. However, the chance to eat meat was not lost upon them…especially Sasha.

"Oh my God…actual meat!" She cried out with glee as she began to devour the steak and Mac n' Cheese. The food warmed her belly as she ingested the juicy slab of grilled meat. Anyone could have seen ecstasy in her eyes and her smile as she swallowed every bite of the food, looking much happier than she ever did before. "Uh…you ok, Sasha?" Connie asked as he took a few bites of his eggs.

"Oooooohh yes…" she murmured in reply, causing the young man to take a slight step away from her.

Meanwhile, Jean looked at his food with a degree of curiosity. The eggs and Cram reminded him about the omelet that his mother used to make for him…and he smiled slightly. The nostalgia hit him as he began to eat the food, the flavors bringing back memories.

To think that a machine could cook so well, it amazed him. Of course, it was nothing compared to the original though, no matter how closely it resembled it.

"Hey, something funny Jean?" Armin asked as he sat down with him.

"W-What? No, nothing." He replied as he resumed eating.

Near the door though, Erwin, Levi, Hanji, Mike and Daniel sat together and ate. The former four were utterly perplexed about the meal, but Daniel ate as if it was something he'd seen every day of his life.

"So…enjoying your meal?" he asked as he opened a fresh bottle of Nuka-Cola.

"It's delicious!" Hanji said with a mouthful of steak.

"I'll admit, it's not too bad." Levi murmured as he lightly held his bottle of purified water.

"We appreciate the food, Mr. Crockett. Now, about the cadets that will stay behind?" Erwin asked.

"Right, right. Anyway, I saw the way that you all used the rifles. Right now I can tell who I'd like to have here."

"Go ahead." Erwin replied.

"First, I'd like to have Jean. He's strong, realistic, and has a good head on his shoulders. He'd made a great deputy." "Second, Reiner and Bertholdt. Both of them are taller than normal men, and I could really use the labor. If I outfit those boys with Power Armor, they'd be able to do jobs that I couldn't do alone."

"Third, I'd like to have-" He was cut off by a loud belch that rang the ears from one of the groups, causing all conversation to cease.

He turned to see it had come from Sasha as she held a half-full bottle of Nuka-Cola, an embarrassed look on her face.

"S-Sorry…" she murmured. Everyone expected Daniel to say a rude chide, but instead he had a slight smirk. "I'd give that an eight out of ten."

"Anyway…" He added as he turned back to the group. "I'd like to keep Sasha and Connie. I know Sasha's a hunter and she'd do great in detecting enemies with Dakota…though I can see it's gonna cost a lot to feed her. Connie's small enough to fit in places for tying small pieces of machinery. And…"

He glanced over at Hani, who was twitching with excitement.

"…I guess I'll keep the psychotic scientist as well."

Hanji let out a whoop of joy, though Levi put a heavy hand on her mouth to stop the noise.

"I'm trying to eat." He muttered.

"Yeah…and lastly I'd like to have Armin and Krista as well, mostly because the former can learn a lot from the books I have and maybe teach with Hanji and the latter…well…she's got a way with Dakota." He indicated with a motion to Krista.

They turned to see her petting the dog, a happy smile on the animal's face. Her friend, Ymir, was close by with a jealous look on her face.

"And maybe…well…nah, I've asked for too much." Daniel murmured as he resumed eating.

"No, what is it?" Erwin asked. He glanced over at Erwin before looking right at Levi.

"Aren't those two, Petra and Oluo, part of your squad, Levi?" he asked.

Levi, who was blatantly ignoring Daniel looked up with some interest.

He might have an opportunity after all.

"They can stay here. I'm sure they'll be of use." He stated.

"Then it's settled. We'll let everyone finish before we tell them what will happen."

Once breakfast was over, Hargreaves and Margaret swooped in and took all the plates and brought them to the Protectrons, who took them into the Vault to be washed. Assembling the troops, Erwin and Daniel stood before them all and made the announcement.

"Soldiers, we have designated who will stay here with me to help build the settlement. We talked over it, and judging on your strengths and weaknesses a few of you will be staying while the rest will be going."

Then, Daniel read off the names, having each one step forward in a saluting position. When Krista was called though, Ymir openly balked. She wanted to be with her, to protect her…but how would she do that when she was far away? Many people die in the Corps…she wasn't going to just leave her beloved Krista behind!

"Sir! I'd like to stay as well!" she called out blatantly. The officers frowned when she talked out, but Daniel held his hand up to them, then made his way through the ranks and looked Ymir right in the eyes.

"You'd like to stay? May I ask why?" he asked with subtle interest.

Ymir, who was hell-bent on making sure Krista was safe, looked him back in the eyes, though she had to admit, the man had a piercing stare.

"Because…I think you need more help around here." She lied.

"Really now? What can you do then?" He asked, drilling into her eyes with his own.

"I…well…I could…" she found herself stumbling on her words. No outstanding skills came to mind as she thought about it. Daniel looked at her with suspicion, beginning to open his mouth to speak.

"S-Sir, if I may? Ymir's a great scout and she can work really hard when motivated!" he heard Krista call from the ranks. Daniel turned to see Krista standing still as a statue, though there was the look of fear in her eyes that he might say no.

Daniel thought about it for a minute, scratching his chin as he did so. He already had ten people here, not counting the robots and Dakota. But then again…he could always use the extra body.

"You're going to be working hard on this place. I won't tolerate any slacking off. Is that understood?" He asked without looking at Ymir.

"Yes…sir." She responded, the look of relief hidden everywhere except her eyes.

"Well then. I suggest the ones called move to the side and the rest receive their weapons, then disembark." Daniel called out.

"Corps, fall out!"

Meanwhile some distance away two men were up in a tree, one aiming down a vicious-looking and heavily modified Gauss Rifle and the second with a pair of binoculars, his Laser Rifle on his back. They work black jumpsuits with matching pieces of polymer combat armor painted black, black balaclavas over their faces, and light-weight combat helmets to hide them in the dark of the forest treetops.

They might have been rogue soldiers, but the sword with two gears marked on their shoulder patches gave them away.

"What do you see, Severin?" the one bearing the rifle asked in a low but husky voice bearing similar to a Polish accent. "

They're going on with the deal…looks like the one in the olive coat is addressing the Corps soldiers." The spotter replied in a snake-like Russian voice.

Severin's sharp eyes looked on as he saw Daniel and Erwin continue to talk on and on, though he shifted his gaze over to the stash of weapons and the robots that guarded them.

"Hard to believe there's a stash of weaponry right there…just waiting to be taken…" he murmured softly.

"Yes, but did you see the man guarding it? He took out those giants by himself, you know."

"All the more reason to get him out of the way…"

The sniper grunted softly before looking up.

"You really think it's that easy to kill a man that's got something that valuable to defend?" He asked with a degree of disdain.

"Of course it is…one slick little headshot and you're all set." Severin replied with a sick smile.

"In fact, I still don't know why you haven't shot them yet, Iosif…"

"Three reasons. One, I'm too far out of range to make a good shot. Two, we were ordered only to fire upon Titans if need be. And three, I know when to take a life and when to spare one, unlike you. Sometimes I swear you are a Deathclaw in human form…" Iosif chided as he looked back down the long-range scope.

"Hmm…sometimes I wonder that too…" Severin replied.

"Wait, they're getting ready to leave." He suddenly remarked as he looked again through the binoculars. He saw the soldiers that had been ordered to continue on the expedition approach the crates that held the laser rifles as well as Pip-Boy crates for the final few soldiers who didn't grab one, and they began to mount on their horses.

"I say we should track them…" Severin murmured.

"Yes, but there's only two of us and maybe sixty of them, brother." Iosif reminded.

"Where do you think they're headed?" he asked.

"The Dead City, probably." Severin murmured.

"Wasn't that the spot where that skinless colossus kicked in the gate of that town?" Iosif asked.

"Aye…all the more reason we need to get our hands on that technology…"

Iosif nodded then briefly looked down, only to have his eyes widened at the sight.

"Severin…where are the horses?"

Suddenly, they heard a thumping nearby. This caused the two scouts to turn their heads and their eyes widened at the sight they saw. "That is one big Titan…" Iosif murmured. They saw a fourteen meter tall Titan approaching them, pot-bellied and delirious-looking with horse limbs out of its mouth.

They both looked at each other, then Severin reached into his pack and retrieved a coin he had "liberated" from a bandit in Wall Rose. "Crown or Wall?" he asked Iosif.

"Crown." Came the reply.

Severin then flipped the coin and caught it, seeing how it landed on Wall. "He's all yours, brother."Severin said with a snicker.

Iosif groaned softly before turning to face the Titan properly, then slapping on a suppressor, taking aim down the scope, charging up the shot till the charger said 99, and then held his breath.

This was the most critical moment for a sniper, when the world practically slows down around you. It took patience, proper timing, and concentration to take out a moving target in a proper spot. The sniper slowly moved the crosshairs downward so the Titan would approach just at the right moment…and he released the trigger.

The bolt was launched by the magnetic chamber inside and flew out at near lightning speed, punching a hole straight through the Titan's mouth and through its neck at a diagonal angle. They had learned about the Titans' weaknesses after much trial and error.

It was worth every shot.

"Nice shot, friend." Severin replied with a slight smirk and a friendly nudge in his partner's shoulder. Iosif merely nodded with a small smile and added a tally on the side of his rifle marking his seventh kill…only to hear his partner sigh slightly.

"We lost the horses…you know what that means?" he asked.

Iosif sighed heavily remembering that they lost their only form of transportation.

"We need to get ourselves some transportation, otherwise we won't be able to make it to the _Erasmus_ by the end of the week..." he muttered.

However, Severin picked up the binoculars and looked closely at the leaving group, his eyes focused directly upon the 3DMG that they wore…and once again that sick smile came across his lips.

"Light bulb…"

Iosif looked up at his partner then let out a groan of annoyance, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

" _O Kurwa…"_ he cursed in his native tongue.

Back at the Vault, the corpsmen finally gathered their supplies, food, weaponry, and whatever else they needed to make the trip. The ones who were set aside to stay gave their goodbyes to each other, each more varied than the rest.

Armin looked absolutely nervous, but Eren and Mikasa consoled him.

"Look, you'll do great Armin! You're smart, fast, and you'll learn about so many things I wish I could know!" Eren said cheerily.

"Not to mention you still have some familiar faces here." Mikasa added.

"I-I know but…I just wish you guys would stay.." Armin murmured softly.

"So could I…but we got a mission to achieve. Besides, Mikasa won't go anywhere without me so there's that. Don't worry though…I think Mr. Crockett will take care of all of you." Eren said, trying to motivate Armin.

It seemed to work, though he looked up at his two best friends, worry in his eyes.

"Just…promise me you all will be safe, alright?" he asked.

"We promise." Mikasa replied.

Meanwhile, the four squad commanders, Petra, Oluo, and Erwin stood in a circle, discussing quietly.

"Petra, Oluo. I want you to learn all you can from this man, and make sure that you have information when we come back." Levi ordered.

"Yes sir." They replied in uniform.

"Oh, I'm so excited! What wonders we'll see! We've probably barely even scratched the surface of the stuff he has!" Hanji squealed.

"Yes…there's a lot more where that came from. Anyway, I want you all to represent the Scouting Legion like professionals. Daniel is a good man and a fighter, but he isn't a soldier at all. Show that we can truly be trustworthy, and he'll give us much more than just food." Erwin ordered.

While everyone spoke, Daniel cleaned up with Hargreaves, Margaret, and the Protectrons. The crates were taken back into the Vault, the dishes sent to the cafeteria for washing, and the Protectrons for charging.

"Monsieur, why the odd look on your face?" Margaret asked with a degree of concern at Daniel's small smile.

"I…well…I just can't believe that I'm actually starting a settlement, that's all." He replied softly.

"Well, I suppose that is good cause! I believe it was your goal for at least ten years?" she asked.

"Yep…ten long years…I guess twenty five is as good as any age to start a town. Hey…remember all those people that volunteered only to try to steal the technology?" he asked them both.

"Oh yes…I believe that you and Dakota gave them the what-for with your arsenal, sir!" Hargreaves commented as he picked up and stashed an empty Nuka-Cola bottle.

"Yes…but it went quiet remember? Eight years of silence…then these guys showed up." He said, gesturing to the Corps.

"I believe these are decent human beings, sir. They did leave some of their troops behind to aid you in building your settlement." Hargreaves observed.

"Yeah…but one can never be too careful, right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Indubitably, sir."

Soon, they were finished and he stood before Commander Erwin as well as the eleven staying with him. It was good to have some help now…hopefully things would work out in the end.

"These young men and women will prove useful to you, Mr. Crockett. They'll obey orders, carry out commands, and defend the territory with their lives if need be." He stated.

"That's perfect. I'll see that they get an honest workload in." Daniel remarked.

"By the way, I gave you those laser rifles for more than one reason…" he suddenly said.

"And what is that?" Erwin asked.

Daniel looked from side to side before looking at the Commander dead in the eyes.

"There's creatures worse than Titans out there, Mr. Smith. Creatures that are so twisted that they kill anything, even their own kind sometimes. And believe me, they can take on Titans easily." He warned.

Erwin Smith, veteran of many conflicts of war, the man who has seen countless hundreds die right before his eyes, didn't budge for a minute. While not arrogant or overconfident, he had seen his fair share of carnage. There wasn't much that could surprise him…yet.

"We can take care of ourselves, though we appreciate the warning." He replied.

Daniel didn't look convinced that Erwin understood the gravity of such creatures, but who was he to argue with an experienced soldier?

"Alright…Godspeed, Commander." He said as they both shook hands.

Soon, the Corps were mounted and ready to leave, with final goodbyes cast to the soldiers staying behind.

"Remember your objective, and remember who you are. Soldiers, move out!" He called out to his men, and the soldiers thundered away, wagon trailing behind them as they left the clearing. The eleven soldiers stared off at the leaving group, unsure of what to think.

They had trained to be alone out in the field…but for them to actually be separated from some of their friends…it was something else.

"Please protect them…" Armin murmured as he watched the green cloaks fade into the evergreen trees.

Daniel was behind them the whole time, and he put a hand on Armin and Jean's shoulders, a charismatic smile on his face.

"They'll be alright. They have a good leader…now, let's not waste time, ladies and gentlemen! Come, we have defenses to build!" he called out as he turned and looked at Hargreaves.

"Get us the tools, please!" he called out.

"What tools, sir?" he asked.

"The tools we've been using for the last ten years!" he replied.

"Oh, those tools!"

Up in the trees, the two snipers looked out at the departing Corps, then back at the group down in the clearing.

"Alright…they've left. Now we just have to sneak in and take two horses as well as some food, gear and ammo so we can make it back to base." Severin commented as he looked through the binoculars.

"Yes, but we have to wait until nightfall, when the dog is asleep." Iosif added.

"True, true…we will be patient though. After all, why else did they make us Jaegers?" Severin asked with a smirk.

"Because they wanted you dead in the quickest and easiest way." Iosif joked.

"Hah hah…" his partner chuckled as he looked out once more before setting it on the soldiers that Daniel instructed, showing them how the tools worked.

"There's a few pretty girls down there, Iosif…" he commented. "Keep your eyes on the tools and actions, you pervert. I'm going to get some sleep." Iosif muttered as he laid down the large branch, strapping his legs in so that he wouldn't fall off their post.

"Yes…until nightfall…" Severin murmured, thinking about what treasures were in there…and about one girl with ginger hair and angelic eyes. He shook his head to clear the thought. Tonight, they'd be out of this forest and back on board...with a promotion surely on the way. "Ad Victorium..." he murmured to himself as he watched on, the sun rising over the trees and brightening the day.

 **As usual, please tell me any ships you want me to put in and ideas are still welcome!**


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